Heroic memories
At the age of 90, Mr. Hoang Van Hien still remembers clearly the heroic memories of decades ago when he participated in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954. Over a cup of tea, still with a friendly smile and proud eyes, he said that he was born into a poor family, his father taught Chinese characters, Vietnamese characters and dispensed oriental medicine, his mother worked hard in the fields in Do Luong district, Nghe An province.
From a young age, young Hoang Van Hien soon understood the hardships under the rule of French colonialism. And the thought that "only by driving out the invaders can people be happy" was soon kindled in Hoang Van Hien's mind. At the age of 14, he joined the resistance, starting as a liaison for the Military Industry Department of Inter-Zone 4 to "wait" to be old enough to join the army.
Mr. Hoang Van Hien recalls old memories.
Later, Inter-zone 4 worked together with other localities to ensure logistics for our army to attack Dien Bien Phu. He immediately joined the youth volunteer force to go to the battlefield to serve in the formation of Company 35 (C35), Youth Volunteer Group 34. In 1954, at the age of 19, young Hoang Van Hien was one of the new, young soldiers who had the honor of participating in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in the final phase of the Campaign.
“Back then, every 4 days of marching at night, the group would rest for 1 day. During the 500-600km journey, we crossed many high passes, deep streams, and abysses, fought against mosquitoes, leeches, wild animals, airplanes, commandos, bandits, etc., but with our will, determination, and youthful strength, my company marched to the destination safely, on time,” Mr. Hien recalled.
Still remembering Dien Bien Phu, Mr. Hien said that at around 8:30 p.m. on May 6, 1954, when the Campaign had just begun, our mortars fired fiercely at the strongholds across the front. His 35th Company was assigned to attack the right corner of Hill C2, with Company Commander Thanh directly commanding the combat formation. Our troops stormed and attacked Hill C2 like a storm, while the enemy was stubbornly and persistently holding out.
The Company Commander ordered the Company to launch a counterattack, the entire Company Command along with the soldiers, machine guns, submachine guns, bayonet rifles, and grenades bravely rushed forward to fight fiercely with the enemy, penetrating deep into the tunnels and bunkers to fight hand-to-hand. Both our side and the enemy suffered heavy casualties, but at that time, our soldiers still bravely charged forward with the determination to "only advance, not retreat!"...
Mr. Hoang Van Hien flipped through old memorabilia while chatting with students, union members, and youth.
At 3:00 p.m. on May 7, 1954, we launched a general attack on the entire front. At 5:30 p.m. the same day, De Castries and the entire Command of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold were captured alive. The Dien Bien Phu campaign was a complete victory...
Recalling his best memory, Mr. Hien said that it was when he and his comrades in the unit met Mr. Van (General Vo Nguyen Giap - Commander in Chief in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign). “Mr. Van cared a lot about his comrades, and also kindly asked about and cared about our lives. After that, I met him many times again.
In my opinion, he was a close person. When he passed away, I also attended the funeral with other veterans, expressing my condolences to the eldest brother of our army..." - Mr. Hien shared.
| Now, every time he remembers the old campaign, remembers the memories of his time with Uncle Ho, Mr. Hoang Van Hien flips through the pages of his diary or the blurred photos over the years to tell his children, grandchildren, youth union members, and members of the Veterans Association. |
Honored and proud to directly protect Uncle Ho
After the Dien Bien Phu Victory, Mr. Hoang Van Hien was given the extremely honorable task of joining the Squad directly protecting Uncle Ho . Whenever he mentioned the years he lived with Uncle Ho, he considered them the most beautiful period of his life. The former Dien Bien soldier recalled: “When we were officially given the special task of “protecting the leader”, all of us were moved, honored, and proud. No one told anyone, but in our hearts we could not help but feel anxious because the task was so new and great for us.
Although the Presidential Palace (the former building of the French Governor-General) was fully furnished, Uncle Ho never used it. Every day, he still wore a rustic brown ao ba ba (traditional Vietnamese dress) and the rubber sandals he had worn since he was in the war zone. Taking advantage of his free time, Uncle Ho gathered us together.
With a warm, expressive Nghe An accent, Uncle Ho instructed the young soldiers on seemingly trivial but essential things: from how to speak when interacting with the people; how to be polite, how to be modest, how to carefully study customs and habits, how to walk in the office, on the street, and even daily tasks such as exercising, brushing teeth, washing face,... just like a kind father instructing his beloved children.
Tan An City Veterans Association visited and gave gifts to Mr. Hoang Van Hien
Every time he received royalties from the Soviet Union, Uncle Ho sent them all to his subordinates. He said: “A lot is enough, a little is enough, I don’t have much money, I give this money to you to buy more breeding animals. Try to increase production so that the unit can have more fish and meat to nourish their health...”.
Now, every time he remembers the old campaign, remembers the memories of his time with Uncle Ho, Mr. Hoang Van Hien flips through the pages of his diary or the blurred photos over the years to tell his children, grandchildren, youth union members, and members of the Veterans Association.
Mr. Hien sadly said: "I was lucky to return, but my comrades - generations of people who fell, whose blood turned red for the land of Dien Bien Phu today to be " reborn " and develop, giving each of us more pride in the history of building and defending the country of our nation".
And the historic Dien Bien Phu victory is always a "hot" story every time we meet to remember our fallen comrades and the memories of the fierce battles.
“For me, meeting Mr. Van and Uncle Ho is the luckiest and happiest thing in my life. Remembering Uncle Ho and his teachings, I often advise my children and grandchildren as well as the younger generations when they visit to always learn and follow Uncle Ho's example in every action, no matter how small. That is also a way to show patriotism,” said Mr. Hien.
As the years pass, the worries and concerns of daily life and the burden of age cannot fade the memories of the youth of the Dien Bien soldier . He was a brave man who loved his homeland and country, the pride of the nation and a shining example for today's young generation to follow./.
Nguyet Nhi
Source: https://baolongan.vn/tro-chuyen-cung-nguoi-linh-dien-bien-a196296.html
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